Worthwhile
by DMarEssence
Summary: Hige doesn't really like being part human, that is, until he finds a person that makes humanity and the struggle for Paradise worth while. Hige/OC


I'm feeling especially bitter today. So I finally got into college… but signing up is like jumping through 1,000 flaming hoops and its killing my soul. So, here is my new story!

ALSO, this sort of takes place in an alternate world in which the wolves do not DIE horribly at the end. And, I'm also assuming you know that the wolves can sort of be human and wolf and change back and forth, or at least, that's the angle I'm taking with this story. Hopefully that clears up some confusion.

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The honey colored wolf sat at the mouth of the alley, waiting for the butcher to throw the scraps into the dumpster behind. He was disappointed when he realized he hadn't been back to this town in nearly eighteen months. The butcher was gone, and in place of it, a bakery.

_Useless,_ the wolf growled, getting off from his haunches and meandering back towards the heavy traffic.

"H-hey, doggie! Here you go," a voice broke through the normal cacophony of the city and went piercing through Hige's ears. He swiveled his wolf ears around and then turned to stare at the sight of a woman in the alley.

She stood with her abundant, auburn hair in an unusually messy bun, her total height no more than 5' 5". Her eyes were honest and willing, and she was wearing a tope colored apron over her jeans. She held out a silver tin that she was previously going to put in the oven… and it was filled with no less than a pound of raw bacon.

Normally, Hige distrusted all two legged beings, but who could resist such an offer from such an intriguing and attractive specimen?

When the creature had finally padded over, the woman leaned down on one knee so that he could feast from the tin more easily. She sighed loudly before she spoke to him.

"I know how hard it is to get by in this city, though you don't look too shabby around the middle," the woman laughed softly, considering most dogs that came to her back door were bone thin, while this particular canine was flourishing quite well.

At hearing the comment, Hige looked up slightly insulted, but again… who could refuse bacon? Free, no-strings-attached bacon? Not him. He snuffled the empty tray indignantly before letting her know he was finished.

The woman, satisfied that she'd done a good deed, wiped her hand across her forehead, leaving a trail of flour over her brow as the dog padded off. That wouldn't be the last time he saw her however.

_Don't go back there, don't go back there… doh! What did I tell you? Humans are just out ta get you, Hige… and after a few more days, she'll be calling the pound on your sorry ass-_

For the next two weeks, the woman was back out in the alley, her tray extended to Hige's inquisitive nose.

"There ya go," she smiled before hesitantly reaching out and stroking the fur on his head. Hige snapped to attention upon contact, but restrained a growl. Normally he wouldn't have let a human touch him so, but again… _free food. _

_Not to mention, she is __**fine.**__ I-if I were human, that is._ Hige lapped up the last dredges of grease before blinking expectantly at the female. He was a wolf. He had to be thinking about self preservation, and he _liked _bacon.

"I wish I could be like you," Maya whispered as the she removed her hand from the wolf's back and shooed him off. "But there's no place in this world for wandering souls." Hige's shadow disappeared around the corner of the alley, and Maya was once again alone.

*

"You wouldn't get it Toboe. She's smart, funny, beautiful-" Hige mused, resting his head in his hand as the wolves reconvened behind the city.

"Have you told her you love her yet?" The brown haired pup yipped enthusiastically, noticing the completely smitten expression on his pack-mate's face. Hige, however, only scoffed.

"Nah man. She's not that kinda girl. It would never work out between us anyway," he said disappointed. Why was he so drawn to her? To a human. It really _couldn't _work out between them.

"H-hey! You never know! Besides… maybe she'll want to come with us-"

"Toboe! I _said _it's not gonna work out! So leave it alone!" Hige snapped as Kiba and Blue made their way towards them, Tsume not too far behind.

"We're heading up towards the Northern part of the city in the morning," the white wolf explained. Hige crossed his arms and nodded before heading off to find a place to sleep.

"Yeah, great, see ya tomorrow."

"What's up with him?" Tsume quirked an eyebrow at the brown wolf's heated exit.

"It's a female," Blue grinned slyly, wondering what sort of woman would have Hige so impossibly ensnared.

"Definitely," Kiba agreed sliding his body up against Blue's as the two got ready to sleep. Toboe wagged his tail while he waited for a chance to join their pile, and Tsume, like Hige, vied for a different sleeping arrangement and made a quick and stealthy exit.

"If they ever found out I was in love with a human…. Wait. Love? I think I'm getting a little ahead of myself," Hige grumbled to himself as he padded through the dark and narrow city streets.

_Can wolves even love? _He sighed, pawing at the trash in the street while his stomach grumbled. As much as he loved bacon _and _being fed by a delectable looking human… it simply wasn't enough to satisfy his constant need for sustenance.

The crashing of a trashcan lid at the end of the alley alerted Hige to a possible rival for pickings. The outline of a russet and white patched wolf with two beautiful brown eyes blinked curiously at Hige. Somehow… he recognized her scent. As she got closer however, Hige's hackles rose. So what if he thought he knew her? She was still an unfamiliar female in the area… and he wasn't going to let her come a step further.

Baring his teeth, Hige flattened his ears against his head and snapped at the intruder, who merely sidestepped and stuck her nose out inquisitively to meet the stranger. She wasn't scared… just curious.

"What gives? I said back off!" Hige snarled, lashing out at the female's slender legs and finding himself surprised when she dodged them easily.

"I've lived in this city longer than you. If you want this place, fine. I was just going to suggest somewhere with better quality," the female remarked casually, brushing off the attempted assault from moments before and wagging her tail affectionately in Hige's face.

"Like I'd trust you," Hige growled, watching as the spotted wolf shrugged her lithe shoulders and scampered down the alley and out of sight. Hearing his stomach protest once again at the hunger he'd been feeling all day, he ran after her.

He was shocked to find where her scent led.

The back door of the bakery was unlocked, so Hige let himself in only to find that the patched wolf was no longer in wolf form. She was human. A human with masses of free-falling auburn hair that itched to be petted and stroked. A woman with kind eyes in either guise that longed to stare deep into his, that shone with warmth and gentility.

_This has got to be a dream,_ Hige thought, his mind drawing a blank on all possible conclusions to how he could have missed this small detail. His jaw was dropped and his tongue nearly lolling out the side at the realization. What were the chances he fell in love with the one woman… who also happened to be of his same species?

"I know… it's weird right? I shouldn't be so into human culture, but it was the only way to survive you know?" Maya explained, throwing a glance over her shoulder to where Hige stood dumbfounded.

"B-but how could I have missed it? Why didn't you tell me?" Hige accused, stepping completely into the threshold and crossing to where she stood.

"I told you. There's no place in this world for wandering souls. Guys like us? Wolves?" Maya's musical laugh filled the small room and washed over Hige like the warm waves of the fire's glow. No wonder he'd been so attracted to her. She _was _attractive. She was desirable, and now… she was a wolf.

Watching Hige through lowered lashes, Maya bounded towards him and chewed on his ear playfully, pulling them both to the floor with a thump. Hige didn't mind being a little dominated however. Frankly, he was a bit too stunned to protest, and she wasn't making it easy. But he was the alpha, and he would take charge, whether it was the human thing to do or not.

*

The fire eventually burned low and died, leaving Maya and Hige out of breath and naked on the floor in the back room while the sun crept its way over the horizon. As far as Hige could tell, Maya was irresistible. The way she nuzzled herself against him made him realize that being human… was worthwhile.

He'd never felt that way about a female before in his entire life. Not even Blue made him feel like this… like he could fly.

_Wolves with dreams of flying. I've got to get my head straight,_ he smiled inwardly, wrapping his now human arms around his _lover_ and holding her tightly to his chest. When she finally blinked her eyes open, Hige was watching… admiring. He knew she was used to her life here- a life of security and purpose, but it wasn't a life for wolves.

"Come with me." Maya blinked confused. "Away from here," Hige continued, gesturing towards the manmade structure they were basking in. Maya's shining eyes became suddenly filled with melancholy and a look of waning hope.

"I told you. Wolves are done for-"

"I love you."

Maya blinked once more, but ended up smiling in the end, as if Hige's sweet intent could take all her troubles away.

"You know… that's a very _human _thing to say. I thought you didn't like them," she whispered, kissing his neck experimentally before looking up into his eyes once more. "Do you mean it?" Hige didn't hesitate.

"I mean it. Come with me. Come with my pack. I know it sounds stupid, but we've been looking for Paradise for so long, and somehow… you've made me realize why." Hige was rewarded with another dazzling smile, especially for him.

"Oh?" she challenged, bringing her hands up from their resting place on Hige's chest and running them through his short, sandy hair.

"Because I know there's a place meant for you and me. Where we can be together, not having to hide behind all this…" Hige trailed off as he looked skeptically down at the flesh coating his human arms. "Wolves mate for life," he continued, reaching up and brushing a strand of her red-brown hair from her face.

"And?" Maya returned, baiting him forward even more. The reaction she received was even stronger than she expected.

"I want you." Hige leaned forward and pressed his lips into hers, tasting her soft flesh with his more acute, human tongue. He liked it. He liked how it could map out every inch of her hot, wet mouth that begged to be licked and suckled. He loved the creaminess of her skin under his coarse hands that itched to tangle themselves in her long and luscious hair.

Before he could even begin to describe the arousal he felt while next to her, she spoke.

"I'll see you in Paradise," she yipped, pulling away and dashing out the backdoor, her long, fluffy tail wagging madly as she hoped Hige would be along shortly. She waited at the mouth of the alley until she saw his nose and pointed ears poke out the door, sniffing with a bit of indignation. Jerking her head towards the city center, Hige loped after her, appreciating the way she waited for him when she clearly could've beat him to the punch.

She knew this city well. But she was leaving it for him.

"I don't even know you," Maya admitted lamely. "And you don't even know my name is Maya," she finished, flicking her tail nervously back and forth as she hefted her front paws on the lip of the fountain. Off-leash dogs ran everywhere here, so two wolves wouldn't be noticed… or caught easily.

"Hige," he said, coming up beside her and taking a seat on the fountain, now in human form.

"But you're right. _This_… is right. I _don't _know you, but I'll do this for you," Maya murmured softly, slipping her hand into Hige's and giving it a squeeze. "You make Paradise sound real. You make everything that happens tomorrow worth it." She sounded like the clichéd movies she'd seen at the cinema, but somehow, the words felt right with Hige. She was excited for this new adventure. She didn't want to be a stagnant soul. She wanted Paradise. Paradise with Hige.

"Paradise _is _real. And I'm gonna get you there."

* * *

Okay, please review, and message and favorite it and all that good stuff. You guys are awesome.

I fell really bad, because I was just reading the reveiws for pretty much all my stories and people are like: we want more! And I'm like, holy crap, people are actually reviewing... huh. But I'm so brain dead and it makes me sad because lately I've been reading stories with like... hundreds... HUNDREDS of reivews, then i'm like... this sucks. Yeah, self-pity's a bitch, but I had a bad day. But the stories are really good, and the people update like wildfire. My thing is I only really write about what i want, and not necessarily things that are current and so, they go to the bottom of the pile. So sad. Sorry. Again... review.

~DMar


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